TAIPEI — Taiwan’s government says it is closely watching a growing number of Chinese naval movements as the military exercise season reaches its peak, including joint operations involving Russia, according to a senior Taiwanese security official who spoke Monday.
Taiwan, which operates as a self-governing democracy, is claimed by China as part of its territory. The island strongly rejects that claim and maintains that its own people have the sole right to determine their future. Taiwanese officials say the window of warning time before any potential military attack continues to narrow.
Taiwan National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen addressed reporters at parliament, noting that the period from July through September represents the height of Chinese military drill activity. He said officials are comparing current operations with previous ones to identify any emerging “new patterns.”
Tsai confirmed that four Chinese naval formations are currently active in the Western Pacific.
“Overall, during this seasonal peak for exercises, the mobilisation of Chinese Communist naval and maritime forces has indeed shown an upward trend,” Tsai stated.
China’s defense ministry had not responded to requests for comment at the time of this report.
On Sunday, both China’s defense ministry and Russian state media announced that the two countries’ naval forces would conduct joint exercises in the waters and airspace near the Chinese city of Qingdao this week. Tsai said Taiwanese officials became aware of those planned drills last week and held internal briefings ahead of time.
He also noted that the joint Chinese-Russian operations appear aimed at challenging the “denial and defence strategy” built by the United States and its allies along the First Island Chain — a stretch of territory running from Japan through Taiwan, the Philippines, and Borneo.
By Friday, Taiwan was tracking a record number of more than 110 Chinese military and Coast Guard vessels operating along the First Island Chain, according to a post on X by Joseph Wu, secretary-general of Taiwan’s National Security Council, published late Saturday.
This follows a 2023 incident in which Taiwan spotted two Russian warships off its eastern coastline.
